# The impact of non-ideal surfaces on the solid-water interaction: a time-resolved adsorption study

## TL;DR

This study investigates how non-ideal surface features like steps and contaminants influence water interaction dynamics and chemistry on gallium phosphide, highlighting challenges in modeling and comparing experimental electrochemical interfaces.

## Contribution

It provides the first in situ analysis of how surface imperfections alter water-solid interactions on gallium phosphide, revealing qualitative and dynamic changes.

## Key findings

- Surface imperfections change water interaction dynamics
- Trace contaminants affect the interaction's nature
- Experimental results challenge idealized electronic models

## Abstract

The initial interaction of water with semiconductors determines the electronic structure of the solid-liquid interface. The exact nature of this interaction is, however, often unknown. Here, we study gallium phosphide-based surfaces exposed to H2O by means of in situ reflection anisotropy spectroscopy. We show that the introduction of typical imperfections in the form of surface steps or trace contaminants not only changes the dynamics of the interaction, but also its qualitative nature. This emphasises the challenges for the comparability of experiments with (idealised) electronic structure models for electrochemistry.